1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to holsters for securely suspending items that need to be kept close at hand, and more specifically to holsters for suspending instruments such as portable telephones, pagers, personal stereos, walkie-talkies, calculators and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable electronic instruments such as cellular and PCS telephones, pagers, radios and the like now play important roles in the daily lives of a large percentage of the population. These and a variety of other instruments such as electronic calculators and various mechanical and electronic tools and devices need to be kept close at hand during work and recreation. However, it is often a challenge to keep such instruments within reach, while keeping them from being lost, stolen or broken.
Portable cellular telephones provide a good example. They are used throughout the day for many purposes, including business and leisure communication, and for safety. Users often carry their telephones on their persons for extended periods of time. Although some cellular telephones are quite small, most are not comfortably carried in a pocket. And, they often take up too much room in, or are difficult to retrieve from, an already cluttered purse or vehicle glove box.
For convenience, several holster constructions have been proposed which allow users to carry idle telephones hands-free. Holsters typically attach to a waistband belt, thereby positioning the telephone close to the waistline of the user. Wearing the telephone close to the waistline, however, often limits the mobility of the user and causes discomfort, especially when sitting or squatting. Additionally, exposure of the telephone at the waistline creates the chance of the telephone being dislodged from the holster.
Some holsters are attached to a waistband belt by threading the belt's end through a fixed, non-releasable loop on the holster. This is a secure arrangement, but these fixed loop-type holsters have a drawback in that they require the waistband belt to be buckled and unbuckled to detach the holster. Examples of these include the holsters shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,192 issued to Hodges in 1995 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,704 issued to Linderer in 1996. Such fixed loop-type holsters cannot be attached to items having the types of straps, belts or handles without a buckle or other opening. Some purse straps and handles are so constructed; they have both ends fixedly attached to the purse's body, thus preventing attachment of a fixed loop-type holster. Briefcase handles, although otherwise a convenient place from which to suspend a telephone holster, normally have their ends fixed to the case. Belt guide loops on trousers, interior door handles in vehicles, and many other fixed objects from which it might be convenient to suspend a cellular telephone holster cannot be used for that purpose if the holster's attachment loop is fixed and unable to be opened.
Other holsters employ various rigid, resilient slide clips to permit attachment of the holster to a fixed object. These are normally fashioned from a piece of spring steel folded to define two separate leaves. One leaf is attached to the telephone-engaging portion of the holster, and the other leaf has its free edge bent slightly outward to permit the clip to receive the edge of a belt or other object from which the holster is to be suspended. Examples of such slide clip-type holsters are shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. 203,101 issued to Hunter in 1965; U.S. Design Pat. No. 280,863 issued to Leath in 1985; U.S. Design Pat. No. 316,999 issued to Sarff in 1991; and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,927 issued to Rutty in 1988. Such slide clip-type holsters are convenient in that they can be easily clipped to, and unclipped from, a waistband belt without undoing its buckle. And, they can be engaged with objects having fixed ends, such as purse straps and belt guide loops on trousers. However, slide clip-type holsters have several drawbacks, as well. One is that they can be easily dislodged from a waistband belt, such as when the user is sitting or squatting. And, they can be easily disengaged from a purse strap during normal use. Further, the size of the slide clip, and particularly the radius of the fold between its leaves, restricts the range of objects from which the holster can be suspended. For example, a slide clip with a small radius fold may be adapted to attach most securely to a waistband belt comprised of a single layer of leather. However, that same slide clip will not permit engagement of the holster with a briefcase handle or a vehicle door handle.
Yet another type of holster employs one or more flexible straps fitted with engagement means such as snaps, or hook and loop fabric fasteners such as are sold under the trademark Velcro. The straps on holsters of this type are adapted to encircle a fixed object of any shape or thickness, such as a waistband belt, a purse strap, or a vehicle's interior door handle. Once around the fixed object, these straps can be bound securely in place; and, they can be disengaged from the fixed object just as easily. Examples of such flexible strap-type holsters are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,483 issued to Moore, IV et al. in 1992; U.S. Design Pat. No. 297,683 issued to Beauchan in 1988; and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,415 issued to Fehr in 1986. Such holster attachment mechanisms solve some problems of the fixed loop-type and slide clip-type holsters discussed farther above. However, they still have several drawbacks. One is that although the attachment straps of these open strap-type holsters can encircle fixed objects of different sizes and shapes, many, such as those in the Beauchan and Moore, IV et al. patents, have little adjustability in the circumferences of their straps. This causes them to hang very loosely around fixed objects of minimal girth, and makes it more likely that they will catch on passing objects. Further, the opposed strap portions of open strap-type holster fasteners can be difficult to engage with one another in certain circumstances, such as when the user is attempting to fasten the holster to a waistband belt while wearing the belt about the waist on trousers. In that case, the straps of a holster such as that in the Fehr patent, which mate with one another on the opposite or inner side of the waistband belt, would be difficult to draw tight around the belt. Common experience makes it easily understood that it would be difficult to insert one's fingers between a waistband belt and the waistband of a pair of trousers to fasten overlapping hook and loop fabric-faced straps to one another, while the waistband belt remains buckled around one's waist in normal use.
Further, those holsters, such as in the Fehr, Beauchan and Moore, IV, et al patents, which employ hook and loop fabric fasteners for engagement of straps to fixed objects are somewhat difficult to use, because they do not permit easy fine adjustment of the attachment straps' tightness. Once the mating fabric patches touch one another, they start to bind. After the initial touching, it is difficult to slide the fabric patches laterally with respect to one another to adjust the straps' tightness. Another drawback is that attachment straps of this type are difficult to cinch tight around an object. First, there is nothing to pull against to get good purchase to achieve a cinching action; and, second, once cinched, there is no easy means provided for temporarily binding the straps in place while the hook and loop fasteners are being engaged.
In addition to the above-noted drawbacks of the forgoing holsters, once removed from a waistband belt, purse handle, or the like, no provision is made to keep the holster in a handy location for ease of later reattachment.
Yet further, holsters in current use such as those above frequently employ unreliable mechanisms for engaging the instrument. Most simply wrap around the instrument, thus permitting it to be fairly easily inadvertently disloged. Such wrap-around holsters make the instruments easy targets for thieves, as well. Yet holsters which employ covers and other closures for better security can also make it difficult to remove the instrument for use, and to replace it afterward. And, if such a cover or closure is inadvertently left unfastened, the unsecured instrument can be easily lost or stolen. A further problem with all holsters of the wrap-around and cover or closure-types is that they usually obscure or obstruct some functional portion of the instrument. This is inconvenient, because such holsters require the removal of the instrument from the holster for use.
Thus, it appears that a need exists for an instrument holster which is able to be easily and securely attached to a variety of fixed objects of different shapes and sizes. And, it would be of particular advantage if such holster were as easy to attach to a belt, strap or handle not having a releasable buckle or fastener, as to a belt, strap or handle having a buckle or fastener. Further, it would be beneficial if such holster's attachment means were able to be easily cinched tight to a fixed object. Yet further, it would be advantageous if such holster were to have a fixed object attachment mechanism, preferably employing hook and loop fabric fasteners, which allowed for unimpeded fine adjustment of the position of the mating portions of the mechanism with respect to one another before engagement with the fixed object.
Other benefits would result if the instrument attachment portion of the holster were able to retain the instrument securely against loss or theft, while not obscuring or obstructing its functional portions and permitting easy removal by the rightful user. And, once removed from a fixed object such as a waistband belt or purse strap, some means for keeping the holster in a handy location for later reattachment, and for permitting easy use of the instrument in the interim, would be beneficial.